Please Don't Go
by EpochWulf
Summary: *Rewritten* Taichi is waiting for the perfect time to admit his affection for Yamato. But when a last-minute cancellation places Yamato on a plane for America in a mere two weeks, Taichi finds he can wait no longer, and must somehow convince his crush to stay. BoyXBoy Taito.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.**

**Notes: I took this old story of mine and rewrote it as a oneshot. Sorry for the delay ...  
**

It was Saturday and as usual, Taichi loved every bit of it. The stresses of life-after-school seemed to dissipate into the background (like post-secondary education), freeing up his mind to focus on more interesting things.

Like Yamato.

Yes, that was definitely the best thing about Saturdays. It was the day he got to hang out with the blond boy. On this particular Saturday, the two found themselves at the beach; The _Decks Tokyo Beach. _It was the largest shopping mall/recreation center in the Odaiba district, with access to the artificial island's beachfront.

Taichi floated comfortably in the water, its coolness a distraction from the searing heat.

They didn't come alone today either. Takeru and Hikari, Yamato and Taichi's respective younger siblings came as well. The two cuddled on the sand under the protection of a large umbrella, _DTB beachfront decor. _She wore a vibrant pink bikini, the other a pair of green swim trunks. Their fingers were interlocked and expressions fixed in permanent smiles, laughing and giggling about something or other.

Taichi stared at the couple longingly. Oftentimes he found himself envious of their relationship. They were so close to one another. . . . If only Yamato had known Taichi's feelings.

"Hey Taichi? You in there?" Taichi opened his eyes and found a particularly handsome blond boy staring down at him; hair wet and dripping beads of water onto his chest. "I think you zoned out for a minute."

"Did I?" He blushed slightly, before shifting positions and orienting himself vertically. The water here wasn't very deep and the tips of his toes brushed against the fine squishy sand.

"Just making sure you didn't get heat stroke, or something. You hungry?"

"Sure."

The two exited the pool whilst Taichi listed off a number of places they could go and eat; most of which were fast and convenient.

"You two done splashing around already?" Takeru inquired playfully as the two older boys approached.

"Yes kiddo. We're going to grab a bite to eat, what do you guys want?"

"Doesn't matter," they both shrugged in eerie unison. The decision would have to be made later.

Ah. The inside of the DTB was nice and air conditioned. Even the changing rooms had a comfortable ambient temperature. They all took advantage of the indoor showers; Takeru took a particularly long shower to wash away all the sand stuck to his body. Taichi and Yamato quickly found themselves alone together in their section of the changing room.

It wasn't the first time Taichi had seen other guys naked. Taichi played soccer at a semi-competitive level. Naked jocks and changing rooms were his domain, but never did Taichi find himself ogling at his teammate's junk. Taichi preferred to keep his bisexuality to himself, expressing strictly heterosexual tendencies in the presence of such people.

But Yamato was different. Yamato was not a jock like the others. He wasn't athletically shaped, or even very muscular for that matter, but he had his own beauty in his sleek design. Taichi dared to flick his eyes across Yamato's body, back turned to him. An instantaneous blush shot through his cheeks, so he turned around hastily to hide the emotion. _Yamato was still beautiful, no doubt. _Taichi tried to shake the thought out of his head. Yamato said something, for conversations sake. Taichi just nodded awkwardly while he slipped on a fresh pair of black briefs, followed by similarly black sweats.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a nice grey shirt with black stripes. A little bit of deodorant, a squirt of body spray and Taichi found himself all fresh and ready for the evening. Even Takeru, with his excessively long shower, got out before Yamato. The three of them waited for the blond outside the changing room, making small talk.

"Damn your brother and his hair," Taichi said impatiently, glancing over at the blond. Hikari sat between them.

"He works at a hair salon, what do you expect?" Taichi just grumbled. The door opened and out stepped Yamato, dressed in dark blue jeans and a straight-black shirt. His hair was styled, as usual. He looked good, but this was Yamato; Yamato always looked good.

"Where are we eating?" the blond asked, using the nearest store's window as a makeshift mirror, performing last-minute touch-ups on his hair. Taichi rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"How about that sushi place just down the hall?" Hikari suggested as she stood from the bench, dragging her boyfriend up with her.

"I'm down," Takeru said.

"Sure," Yamato agreed, turning to face the group.

"Whoa, since when do we settle this early? But yeah, let's go. I'm starving!" Taichi said.

It was a nice little sushi outlet, delicious food and the ambiance was comfortable. Not too long after, Taichi dropped of the younger siblings at the Yagami residence.

"Thanks for the ride!" Hikari said. Takeru smiled and waved once.

"Uh huh... Play nicely you two," Taichi said. Takeru took Hikari's hand, and the two faded into the entrance.

"Movie?" Yamato suggested.

**llllllllll**

"Sorry, the place is a mess," Yamato said as they entered the Ishida residence. "I really ought to do laundry."

"There's always tomorrow..." Taichi said dryly, fiddling with the rental movie (a horror movie, or as Taichi mentally put it: _cuddle material_).

"And dishes,"

"Tomorrow..."

"And sweep... and dust..."

"Are we going to watch the movie or not?"

"I really should clean first... before Dad gets home."

"Oh c'mon, your place is always like this," Taichi pouted, putting the disk in the BlueRay player.

"That's an issue." Yamato glanced around. "I need to do this first. If you help me, this will go _a lot_ faster."

"Okay, okay, we'll do it your way," Taichi sighed. It only took an hour, and afterwards the house was nice and clean. Well. . . . cleaner anyways. Yamato sighed in contentment, handing Taichi a soda, then tabbed open his own with his thumb.

"Thanks for helping."

Taichi shrugged. "Can we watch the movie now?"

"I suppose."

**llllllllll**

Morning had come. The sun shone through the open window, assaulting Taichi's still-tired eyes. He shifted positions, facing away from the offending light, his attention falling upon his blond best friend. Taichi and Yamato had always shared a bed during sleepovers like these. Some might have viewed it as awkward, some might have viewed it as gay, but to the two it was just a sign of their close friendship. Close _plutonic _friendship . . . .

Yamato sat wide awake, laptop resting on his lap, eyes darting back and forth reading something or other. He looked really into it; it must have been important.

Taichi announced his presence with an expressive yawn and a stretch, before propping himself into a sitting position, back against the headboard and supporting pillows.

"Whatcha got?" Taichi asked curiously, leaning into his friend's personal. Yamato didn't immediately respond, and Taichi's eyes were still too blurry to actually read anything.

"You won't believe this, Taichi!" Yamato finally said, reading the last of the article. "I-I think I just got a scholarship!"

Taichi leaned back in surprise, "Really? That's so cool Yama, congratulations!"

"Yeah, thanks!"

"How much is it worth?"

Yamato reread the passage, making sure he was seeing clearly, "It says here, fourteen grand!"

"Whoa, no way!" Taichi exclaimed, squinting and rubbing his eyes a few times before looking at the screen himself. "That's ridiculous. What the hell did you do for fourteen grand? What's the catch Yamato?" The last part he asked, semi-playfully, semi-seriously.

"Oh, right. The catch..."

"...Yama?" The blond highlighted a section of the text with his mouse. Taichi leaned in, eagerly reading the text; expression shifting from genuine surprise to neutrality, to genuine shock and horror.

"Y-Yamato," Taichi looked Yamato tentatively in the eye. "T-That school is in America, Yamato, America! Why? What do they want with you?" Taichi's voice got progressively more squeaky and panicky. "Tell them you aren't interested. Yama, tell them to leave you alone!"

"Taichi," The hand Yamato had been using to support his weight strayed from its position, brushing over the hand of his best friend; a feeble attempt at reassurance. Taichi got the hint.

"For how long, Yamato?" Yamato didn't answer; instead he broke eye contact, fixating his gaze on some insignificant inanimate object. _As if ignoring the issue would simply make it go away._

"How long!" this time Taichi's face was twisted in a serious expression. Yamato saw it when he flicked his eyes across the brunet; a brief moment of contact made. His eyes then returned to nowhere.

The blond swallowed audibly, biting his lip in nervousness. "Five years. . . ."

**llllllllll**

"I should be going now," Taichi said; voice unstable.

"Taichi wait," Yamato said, chasing the brunet down the stares. "Wait!"

"No Yamato," Taichi said with underlying tones of anger.

"Please Taichi, don't go,"

"I-I," the brunet snapped his head to the side and glared at the doorknob. "I have to go now. Goodbye." Taichi closed the door – a thunderous sound as it made contact with the doorframe. He took a deep breath, than exhaled. His vision started to blur.

Perhaps Taichi was in no state of mind to drive, but he took his chances. The only thought occupying the brunets mind was a desire of solitude, the comfort of his room. All else was irrelevant.

Anger was the easy part. Anger was always the easy part. He blew past his confused sister and withdrew into the crevasse that was his room – his refuge from the exterior world. Anger came easily, but sadness was an emotion Taichi preferred to keep locked to himself. Sadness was the hard part, the part Taichi would bear on his own.

The room was dark; Taichi's shades had done their part. Mood-complimenting music filtered into Taichi's ears via his MP3 player; angry rap music Taichi otherwise didn't listen to. But now it provided an uneasy solace. Taichi let his mind wander.

_**One week later**_

The group met at the park. It had been an almost sacred place of union ever since the adventures in the digital world. Six chosen were present, all of the original less Mimi (who now resided in America) and Yamato. Yamato hadn't been invited to this particular meeting. Sora spearheaded the discussion.

"Yamato's plane will be departing to America on Tuesday, the 26th. That's in less than two weeks. The only weekend we all have off will be the 23 through 24st of next week. So, logically, one of those two days we should host a _proper_ going-away party. Like what Mimi should have had . . . ."

"Both days are fine with me," Hikari said. Takeru agreed.

Takeru had been upset with his brother when Yamato announced his decision to accept the scholarship. They had gotten into a fight about it. An argument lingered in the air between them for days, but eventually, after some intense discussions, things started to work out between them, like things always did. Takeru got over it, at least outwardly. He wore a meek smile but one could see the discussion still irritated recent wounds.

"Both are OK, if we do it Saturday we could have a few drinks and crash at your place – If that's alright of course. If we do it Sunday we can't," Jyou said. He addressed Sora who had agreed to be the host. Good old Jyou, speaking up for the wellbeing of everyone else – he personally abstained from alcohol.

"Sounds logical. I don't really drink either so I'm impartial to both days." Koushirou said.

"Sounds good," Sora said. A few moments of silence interrupted the conversation. "Taichi?"

"What?" Taichi asked distantly.

"What day is best for you next week. The party remember?"

"Oh. I don't care," Taichi shrugged.

Sora eyed him quizzically before returning her attention to the rest of thee group. "Ok, so Saturday seems best. Hmmm, next on the agenda – right, what are we all going to bring? Obviously I'm hosting, so I can provide . . . . host stuff. What I need you guys to get is," she withdrew a list from her pocket: "Supper, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, entertainment, snacks and – well Yamato. Someone's going to have to pick him up, after all."

Hikari said: "I'm sure Taichi can pick up—"

"—drinks," Taichi said, giving a fake smile and half-hearted thumbs up. "Got it."

"I can pick up Yamato," Jyou volunteered, he was the only other one with both a driver's licence and a vehicle. "I can also give rides to anyone who needs it,"

"Thanks bud," Sora said, once again giving Taichi a flicker of curious attention.

"I'll take entertainment," Koushirou offered. "And you two can pick up food and snacks."

"Got it," "Great," said both Hikari and Takeru respectively.

"Alright then, glad we got that settled so quickly," Sora smiled.

Shortly later, the group disbanded. Takeru and Hikari went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful summer evening. Sora waited patently for the rest of the group to disperse so she could corner Taichi alone.

"Hey you, what's up?" She pointed a finger at Taichi.

"_Is_ something up," Taichi retorted, eyes narrowing to a glare.

"Yes. You. What's got you so damn edgy lately? You snap at me when I call you, you come here grudgingly, you don't even listen when we discuss you best damned friends going away party."

The brunet exhaled slowly, laboriously. "Frankly, Sora, it's none of your business."

Sora didn't listen. "Did you get into an argument with Yamato?" Taichi began to respond, but no words came out. He shut his mouth and directed his attention elsewhere.

_So it is Yamato. _"What happened?"

"I – don't want to talk about it,"

"Taichi," Sora searched for words, "we've been through a lot together. We've been through a lot of arguments, both with each other and others. You _know_ how helpful it can be to talk to someone else. You _know _you can always talk to me."

"Yeah," Taichi sighed, "I know. Yes, it does have something to do with Yamato. I-I just don't want to talk _right now. _Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," She stretched before leaning her head back into her interlocked fingers. "When you want to talk, just let me know. . . ."

"Sora,"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

**llllllllll**

_I'm going to be late _thought Taichi, eying his wrist watch. It was Saturday, the day the group decided would be Yamato's going-away party. It was apparently an important day for many other people as well, as the lines at the liquor mart stretched an unfathomably long way back.

"_Just start without me_," Taichi texted in response. He wouldn't be there anytime soon.

'_Stupid Taichi, always putting things off to the last minute. Just like you put off telling Yamato your true feelings. And now you are going to be late.'_

After an excessively long wait, the line finally got to Taichi. He paid for his things and left quickly. Beer, wine, a few bottles of hard stuff – plenty of mix too. He checked his watch again. _Be there at 6 sharp. Its 6:20 – Sora's going to kill me. . . ._

Taichi knocked impatiently on the door.

"You're late."

"I know, Sora. I'm sorry." Taichi shrugged sheepishly, lifting the two bags slightly as he did so. "Well, I brought these. Got two cases of pop in the trunk too." He handed the bags to Sora`s impatient hands and retrieved the rest of the drinks.

The inside of the house had a strong aroma of pizza. Half-empty boxes lay sprawled across the kitchen counter: pepperoni, mushroom, Hawaiian. He made a mental note to steal some of the meat-lovers later.

"So you did decide to show up," Takeru said, leaning against the doorframe.

"I just said I was running a little late," Taichi responded.

"That's not what I meant."

"What _did _you mean," Taichi said, agitation in his voice.

"You know what I mean."

"Enlighten me."

"Yamato and your – _thing_. Whatever it is that's going. It's like the cold war between you two ever since Yamato said he _had _to leave. We figured you might not show."

"Yeah well, Yamato and I have some issues to sort out."

"Better get on that. He leaves in 2 days."

"Yeah, I know, thanks. . . ."

"I'm just saying, you're kind of running out of time here,"

Taichi cocked his head in irritation. "Is there something you wanted in particular, Takeru?"

"Nah, I'm good. Take it easy," and then the blond faded back into the living room, where everyone else was gathering. Taichi shook his head and followed shortly after with a can of beer in hand.

Yamato sat on the largest couch, centered, with everyone else squished around. They all faced Koushirou's computer screen. Mimi's face appeared on the display.

"Oh this picture is so cute and– oh, there Taichi is. Hey, Taichi, you're late!"

"Hello to you too," Taichi said with an awkward wave.

"Ok try to jam in there on the side," The girl with pink hair commanded, pointing her finger at what appeared to be the center of the computer screen. Very specific.

He tried squishing in beside Sora, which in turn made Sora invade Yamato's personal bubble. The contact made Taichi tense up.

"This isn't working," Yamato said with a sheepish giggle.

"No, it's not. Half of Taichi's face is cut off. Hmm – oh I know. Jyou, Taichi, go behind the couch." Mimi said. The two did as they were told. "There we go, much better." _Much better indeed. _Taichi's face ended up in close proximity to Yamato's. He dared to inhale, and was flooded with the overwhelming potency of Yamato's shampoo. And there was still the smell of pizza in the air; pomegranate pizza with a dash of Yamato was the end result.

"Excellent!" Mimi exclaimed. "Now Koushirou can Photoshop me in later!"

A few minutes had past, and most people shuffled to get more food or something to drink.

"Well, I'm going to go make some coffee, its five A.M. out here," Mimi announced. The webcam image of her disappeared as she did. Taichi shook around the remaining contents of his beer can. Yamato had left the room some time ago. The two exchanged few words thus far.

"Well, I was going to wait till later, but," Sora began. "We might as well do this while we are all still sober. In the spare bedroom I set up a little one-on-one with Yamato. We can all take turns saying our personal goodbyes. I'm sure you would all like to think of something to say. When you are ready, just head to the spare room."

Takeru went first. Hikari went next. Taichi used the downtime to sneak a few slices of pizza and organise his thoughts. He got a headache from it all and decided to wing it; improvise like he usually did. Still, a chill of nervousness ran through him. He wanted to admit his feelings to Yamato before he left. . . . but know he felt unsure whether or not he was ready, or if now was the right time.

When was the right time? When Yamato boards the plane and goes to America? No, it would be far too late then. He would have lost Yamato forever. _Forever._ The word haunted him. He had to tell him! Before it was too late, if it wasn't already.

"You alright there, brother?" Hikari asked, poking her brother's side. He jumped at the unexpected derailment of his train-of-thought.

"Yeah I'm fine," he responded.

**llllllllll**

"Hey Taichi, you're not mad at me anymore?" Yamato said when Taichi entered the room. He was the last of the Chosen to do so.

"Yes, I am still mad at you," Taichi said with a torn smile. "But whatever."

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that things had to turn out like this." Yamato craned his neck and shifted positions.

The room was otherwise bare, a spare bed, and empty dresser. It contained two chairs, one was occupied by Yamato, it was slightly bigger and had more cushions. Taichi occupied the second.

"I have to go Taichi. I know how you feel. I know you feel like you're losing your best friend forever, but I have to go. Everyone will leave here eventually. There is just – well, _a lot_ of _financial _incentive to leave now. I can't really turn down a fourteen thousand dollar scholarship and the opportunity to study at one of the best schools for Astronomy. I mean, the programs out here for that are much less, _conclusive_."

"But all your friends Yamato, your family. Takeru for god's sake. You are just going to fly away, and not see them again?"

"It's five years Taichi. I'd come back after. . . ."

"Five years is a _long_ time, Yamato."

"I know, Taichi, I know. This isn't easy for me either!" Yamato's tone turned harsher. "I had to give this a _lot _of thought. I had to make a lot of sacrifices for this. But ultimately it is the best way to achieve the _long term goal._"

"Isolation from friends and family?"

"Fuck. Taichi, listen. It's hard to explain. I have to go, I need to go, I'm going. That's the way it is."

"That's not the way it has to be, Yamato. You could stay here; take Tokyo University's astronomy course –"

"Even then, I'd still be an hour's drive away. I'd have to move on campus, or to a nearby apartment. It's terribly expensive and I wouldn't get a scholarship to boot."

"Yamato,"

"Taichi, I went over this with myself many times. It's so close, but I think the benefits of America outweigh staying, by just a little. . . ."

"Yamato," Taichi drew his breather nervously. "I, I-" _I love you. Just say it Taichi! _But the words wouldn't form, not properly.

"I – understand. . . ."

Yamato sighed. "Okay. Thank you. You are one of my best friends Taichi, I didn't want to lose you _as a friend _over this."

The words stung, the opposite of their intentions. _ONE of his best friends? Didn't want to lose a friend over this? Was that all he was to Yamato, just a friend? _If Yamato _had _reciprocated Taichi's feelings, he made no attempt to show them. Not even a little. If anything, Yamato felt cold; distant.

"Yeah. Friend. . . ." Taichi let the words linger. He got up to leave. "Goodbye, Yamato."

**llllllllll**

It was Tuesday, the twenty sixth. _That _day. The day Yamato would leave to America for five years. The pain from Yamato's "rejection" was still raw. He had been more or less avoiding the blond again, not wanting another heart wrenching conversation about how Yamato "had to leave."

Taichi's cell phone rang. He checked the call display: Sora. Hesitantly, he answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Taichi, it's Sora."

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I figured you could use someone to talk to," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Miserable," Taichi admitted.

"Yamato?"

"Yamato."

"I know how you feel, Taichi."

"You don't –" Taichi began. But as he thought about it, she probably did. He remembered the first time Sora asked Yamato out (yeah she asked hi out, apparently Yamato is not big on making the first move), and the first time Yamato rejected her (he's apparently big on that too). "Well, I guess you do know how I feel." The two exchanged a few moments of unimportant chitchat, then Sora got serious.

"Yeah. Well, I want to tell you something. This is back like 8 years ago, when Mimi left. She was by _best _friend at the time; we'd grown pretty close together. Well, around that time, me and her got into a little, argument. I was holding a grudge, even when she told be she was moving to America, I stayed mad at her. I was still mad, and hurt, and just really shitty overall, and I figured that avoiding the issue would - I don't know, make it go away. Pretty stupid I know."

"But it didn't. It made it worse. It tears you up inside, knowing that your last moments with your best friend are stained by childish anger. I couldn't get in contact with her for three months. I drowned in my own self-hatred and pity of three months before I got to apologise. Now, I cannot reverse what had happened, but I see the same thing happening between you and Yamato. I don't know what it is, but you two have really just pushed apart these last two weeks."

"I just don't want you guys to go through what I went through. It really, really eats you up inside."

"I'm sorry," Taichi said. "That really sucks."

"Yes. Yes it does. Don't let it happen to you guys too. Please, please don't let that happen. . . ." The conversation died down. After a few more minutes, they ended the conversation.

Taichi glanced at his watch suddenly. Yamato would be leaving soon, and Taichi needed to apologise. Apologise and tell Yamato how he truly feels. . . .

**llllllllll**

FUCKING PARKING! There were few empty spaces around, and that implied that the airport would be full. It may be hard to locate Yamato in the crush. And time was ticking down much too fast for his liking. A parking space makes itself available and Taichi rushes in. The two vehicles beside don't keep to their cells either, so even getting out of the car was challenging. Taichi paid the meter and took off inside.

He tried hailing Yamato by his cell phone, but got no response. He tried again once he got inside the airport, but to no avail. Right, Yamato gave his cell phone to Mr. Ishida, who agreed to get the contract terminated once Yamato left. Great, he would have to locate Yamato the old fashioned way.

The brunet scanned the throng of individuals. No one immediately stuck out. He proceeded to the large overhanging flight organiser board. Only one flight was scheduled for Miami, Florida. Flight A3. He raced over to the A3 terminal. He quickly scanned the row, desperately searching for the blond. Not a single person here looked like Yamato.

"Damn it!" Taichi cursed. A few people donated a mildly amused glance in his direction. Was he too late? Did Yamato already purchase his ticket and board the plane? He scanned again, even jogging to the front of the line and back. He ignored the questioning looks. Yamato was not there. All hope was lost. . . .

He was too late. "Fuck!" Taichi whispered. "Just fuck." Tears swelled up in his eyes. But he would not cry in public. Head down, he trekked towards the exit. He was too late. Yamato was gone for good.

He looked up one last time, but no faces stood out.

"Thanks," someone said briskly as Taichi held the door open. That voice. . . .

"Taichi?"

"Yamato?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. You're late!"

"I know. I ran into a snag –"

"Yamato I need to talk to you."

"We can talk in line," the blond said, dragging me behind the belt of individuals.

"I mean, a little more privately."

"Well I don't have time for – have you been crying?"

"It's a long story. One I would gladly share _in private," _The last part was a whisper.

"Look Taichi –"

"Attention: Flight 1043 from Odaiba, Japan to Miami, United States has sold out." The message repeated once. "The next available flight from Odaiba, Japan to Miami, United States leaves at eight P.M. Wednesday. Thank you"

_Yes! _Taichi mentally screamed.

"Fuck me," Yamato said through gritted teeth.

Taichi waited a few seconds for Yamato to cool down. "So, can we talk in private now?"

Taichi led Yamato outside to a relatively private area. It had a bench and a garbage/ashtray, contained no windows - only brick and concrete, and a few trees to lighten the place up. A few specs of humanity were sprinkled about, minding their own business.

"Did you come all the way out here just to try and convince me to stay?" Yamato asked.

"Actually, yes, I did."

Yamato sighed. "Taichi; you know I have to go. I already told you _why _I have to go. I–"

_Blah blah blah._ The words were a slur Taichi didn't make out. His heartbeat was palpable, and distracting. Only one thought occupied his mind, thoroughly and entirely.

"So that is why –" Taichi pressed his lips against Yamato's. It seemed like the right thing to do. So he acted on impulse. Yamato didn't immediately pull away, but Taichi could feel the surprise ripple through the blond. He released, observing Yamato's reaction with predatory awareness.

"What was that," Yamato asked, though his attention wasn't entirely in the present.

"Well, it's complicated. I'm bad with words. I thought it would do a better job then I ever could explain."

"Well. I don't. . . . I don't know how to react quite honestly. Taichi,"

"Yamato I love you. I've been meaning to tell you for a long time, I just never found the right time. And, quite honestly, I don't think now is the right time either. In fact, now is much too late. I should have –"

Yamato kissed him. Taichi fell into the kiss, words gone. He was never good with words anyhow. This feeling, he finally got to tell Yamato. A thousand tonne anvil was lifted off his back. He felt unshackled, completely free. Perhaps he was dreaming.

"You idiot!" Yamato said, punching him in the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

"Because... Because I'm an idiot, ok?"

Yamato accepted the answer and smiled. "Yes, you are. I love you too. I have for a long time. I just never thought you'd reciprocate so I kept it too myself."

"So you're an idiot too, then," Taichi chucked.

"I guess so."

"So, will you stay Yamato?" Taichi did his best to muster "puppy-dog" eyes, but given the recent emotional turbulence he failed miserably. "Stay for me? For Takeru? For all of us?"

"Well, I _suppose_ this tips the balance to 'staying'," Yamato scratched his head. "I guess I have a lot of people to call. . . ."

Yamato and Taichi walked to Taichi's car, chatting about small things like _when did you find out, _and _do you know how expensive that taxi was to get here?_

"If I end up working at a gas station for the rest of my life, everyone will know who to blame," Yamato said.

**llllllllll**

**Edited in the ****llllllllll** because my previous triple asterisk page-breaks don't work on FFnet...  



End file.
